SA hospital EDs may close in restructure

South Australia has flagged the closure of some emergency departments as the government looks to overhaul its lagging health system.

The government has come under fire over emergency department overcrowding, with damning reports from medical officers warning of ambulance ramping and "extreme and immediate" safety risks at hospitals.

But national data reveals SA has a higher number of public hospital beds, GPs and nurses than any other state, while Adelaide has more emergency departments per capita than most cities its size.

Health Minister Jack Snelling says this proves the need to deliver more efficient treatment and improve the flow of patients, rather than simply opening more beds.

Releasing the Transforming Health discussion paper on Friday, he said the government would consider replacing some EDs with a service somewhere between a general practice and full emergency care.

"What the data shows is we're putting in this extra investment, but we're not seeing commensurate better outcomes," he told reporters.

"There's one emergency department ... where only 7 per cent of the people who present at that emergency department are actually admitted to hospital.